One for the Jewels
by umk
Summary: Broke as all heck, New Jersey dwelling Lucy Heartfilia takes up a job at a bail bond company, and with absolutely no experience, becomes a bounty hunter. The icing on the cake, her first case is the guy who took her virginity - Natsu Dragneel.
1. Chapter 1

_Oh shit._

Have you ever been broke? Man does it suck, you eat nothing but Frosted Flakes for weeks on end, you never turn the lights on (making your usually gorgeously tanned skin sort of take a turn for the worst) and you never go anywhere.

So desperate times call for desperate measures, am I right?

I breathed in calmly, facing down the ramshackle rent out that belonged to my cousin, Michelle. I swear, if she doesn't give me this job, I'm gonna knock some heads and take some names.

Which, ironically, is exactly the job I was signing up for.

My cousin Michelle owned a bail bonding business, which is basically a place for crazy kooks to set up their court dates.

And I was here to become her latest apprehensive agent.

(That's fancy slang for bounty hunter.)

Not that I have any experience…whatsoever…in this field, Michelle owes me big time, plus I've been one to hear about the perks of being a bounty hunter.

Ten percent of the bail bond. And some of these wackos are worth over fifty grand, that means I get…1, 2, 3, 4…5,000 jewel! 5 grand for what? A week of hunting and catching? Sounded like a pretty sweet deal to me.

I swept into the agency, hoping that I'd look suave enough to fool anyone inside that I was totally qualified for this job that I totally wasn't qualified for.

To my disappointment, the only person inside was a blue haired woman clicking at a service desk. Her hair looked like a blue floofy dandelion and it just barely peeked over the top of the computer.

"Uh…excuse me," I cleared my throat awkwardly, trying to get the young woman's attention. She didn't even acknowledge me as she click clacked on her computer like a condescending little pixy witch.

"Excuse me?" I repeated, a little bit louder. No response, just more typing. Ugh, this was going to get ugly.

"Hey!" I shouted, leaning over her desk to get in her face.

She finally looked up, honey like brown eyes grazed over me lazily and she sighed, as if saying _not this again._

"Look, I'm sorry your boyfriend got hauled in. No, there's nothing I can do, and no, after he misses his court date there are no more bails." When she finished her pointless monologue she flashed a fake smile and went back to typing.

I couldn't help but let out a scoff. "_Excuse me, _but I'm not here for my boyfri-oh whatever. I'm here to see Michelle." I spit out sassily.

She looked me over again with a skeptical look. "Are you her sister, or something?"

"No, I'm her cou- that's beside the point! I'm here for a job interview." I huffed, smoothing my hair after a piece had come out of my loose side ponytail.

Her eyes narrowed. "If you think you're taking my job, you've got another thing coming inflate-a-boob." She snapped. My jaw dropped and I took a step back.

"Wha-I'm here to become a bounty hunter!" I said childishly, stomping my boot clad foot in frustration. To my surprise, the receptionist found this to be hilarious and burst out laughing.

"Ahahahahah….oh….oh my god you're serious." Her tone flattened as she realized just how serious I really was.

"Yes, can you tell her I'm here?" I asked impatiently.

"What do I look like, your slave? Do it yourself." She said haughtily, rolling those doe eyes of hers and returning to her computer.

"Well la-di-da," I mocked quietly while opening the office door that read _Lobster._

"Hello, Michelle?" I said lamely, peeking my head into her office.

Michelle quickly shut a book that looked vastly similar to 50 shades of gray and flashed me an embarrassed smile.

"Lucy! What are you doing here?" She asked hurriedly, glancing at her book which was not-so hidden on her lap.

"I need to talk to you," I said, shutting the door softly and sitting in the chair parallel to hers.

"Ok, uh…go ahead." She welcomed, gesturing me to begin with her hands and perching her head in the palms of her hands.

"Well…I'm in the midst of a…financial…situation, and I was wondering if you could get me a job…" Man, this is a lot more awkward than I had pictured it.

"Uh…Lucy, I already have a receptionist…" Michelle said guiltily. I felt my face flushed and I waved my hands in front of my face dramatically.

"No, no, no. I want to be a bounty hunter."

Silence.

"…Lucy…?" Michelle asked slowly, as if confirming that I was indeed human.

"Yes?"

"…No."

"Come on Michelle! I'm a fast learner, and I _really _need the cash." I begged, clasping my hands together and shaking them.

"Lucy, you have no experience! Do you even know how to shoot a gun? It's dangerous!" Michelle pressed firmly.

"Michelle," I warned. Her attention slightly wavered.

"Michelle, do you remember your bachelorette party?"

Blink.

"_Lucy,"_

"I certainly remember it, Vegas, bright lights, _hot guys…_"

"_Lucy!_"

"-Remember that one guy, Hans…I think? Man, you guys _really _hit it off…"

"_Alright!" _Michelle screeched. "Alright, Lucy…I think you've made your point."

I smirked devilishly. "So you'll hire me?"

She pursed her lips. "Fine…but only after some training, with a professional."

I nodded vigorously. "Great, you won't regret it, I promise!"

She sighed. "This is such a bad idea. Levy has all the cases, and tell her that you need a trainer! Tell her you need the best trainer she can get!" Michelle said exasperatedly. I could barely contain my excitement.

Lucy: The sexiest bounty hunter alive! Kicking ass and taking names, all the way from Jersey to Vermont!

I got up and hurried out to the receptionist's desk, Levy, I presumed, and tapped my nails on her desk giddily.

"Can I help you?" She asked, in a tone of voice that said _oh, you again._

"I need a trainer. To be a bounty hunter. The _best _trainer." I clarified happily. She stood up slowly, tapping the stack of papers on her desk so that no ends stuck out haphazardly.

"You're kidding." She stated, glancing towards a large rickety file cabinet behind her.

"No, I got the job. I just need a trainer, and a job." I said with a simple shrug.

"…The best trainer?" She repeated, making sure I was dead serious.

"Yes. And I'd like to look at some cases please, too." I tried my best to be polite, if I was going to be working here the last thing I wanted was to make the girl who made the cash go round pissed off.

She smirked, and for a second, I was scared to death. "The best trainer, would probably be our best bounty hunter, am I right?" She asked for confirmation. I nodded slowly, a little nervous to see where she was going with this.

"Perfect. I'll call him right now." She said, her smirk still glowing. "The case files are in the drawer," she added quickly, picking up the dusty old telephone box and clicking a few numbers.

Whoa, if that a cord phone? Haven't seen one of those since…well, since I was last at my Mom's house.

That was last week, silly Lucy.

I cautiously skirted past several stacked boxes to get to the filing cabinet. The file cabinet was split into three different drawers, the top one was labeled carelessly, _cases, _the second one said _top cases_, and the third one said _do not open._

I think we all know which one I opened.

I leafed through the papers, most of them had the name _Levy McGarden _scrawled across the top. Hm, this must've been her private drawer.

I was going to shut it, disappointed that they weren't really awesome cases, like triple homicide maniac on the loose, or a bomb threat or something awesome, but a small beige folder caught my eye.

I turned around quickly, Levy was still arguing with someone on the phone. Haha, good.

I lifted up the file slowly, careful not to make too much noise. I opened the file and glanced over the layout.

The front page had a small red stamp that read _top case _and naturally that made me excited. I flipped to the next page exuberantly and almost screamed.

Because, the mug shot was of someone _extremely _familiar to me.

Natsu Dragneel.

I almost spit right on his ugly scowling face.

Asshole.

You see, Natsu fucking Dragneel and I go way back, his family lived in the Burg as well (a neighborhood where all the obnoxious New Jersey stuck up middle class families live) and as a kid I was always told to _stay away from that Dragneel boy. _As a child I heeded that warning, only catching glimpses of the grinning salmon haired boy from across picket fences and riding his scooter throughout the neighborhood.

But of course, the second I hit my rebellious _Mom and Dad can't tell me what to do _17 year old stage, a grinning playboy was quite possibly the most appealing thing that could stroll into the empty bakery I worked at.

…One thing lead to another, and Natsu Dragneel now has a stud on his belt labeled _Lucy Heartfilia _and was not afraid to show it.

Damn you, fucking crazy pink haired bastard.

And if this was a chance to get sweet revenge on that cuntfuck, drag his ass to jail and laugh as he got convicted of _holy shit first degree murder!?_

Damn. Never thought that bad boy Natsu turned cop would commit _murder_. I mean, I hated him…but…

"What are you doing!"

I snapped out of my daze, almost dropping Natsu's case file.

"What the hell! Put that down!" Levy screamed, snatching the file away from me and hugging it to her breasts, almost protectively.

Realization hit me like an ice cream truck. "Oh…oh my god, you like him! That's why you're protecting him!" I shouted, jumping up and down like an eighth grader who had discovered her best friends crush.

"_What?!_" Levy cried, her face contorted into rage and anguish.

"That's illegal! The bonding business will lose money!" I called out. She slapped a hand over my mouth quickly and dragged me into the back office, which looked like an interrogation room.

"Shut. Up." She hissed when we were safely tucked into the room.

"But-"

"Sh!" She pressed her finger to my mouth, and her face looked urgent, and…sad.

For a second I felt bad for calling her out, maybe she had good reason to hide Natsu's case…

But then again, it _was _Natsu.

"Listen to me. Natsu is my brother, he's innocent, I _can't let Michelle find out he missed his court date. _They're gonna convict him! He didn't do it!" Levy cried, begging me not to squeal.

_Brother…?_

Faintly I recalled a short little blue haired girl, following Natsu around with a shiny smile on her face.

"Oh," I said, not really processing the information.

_Didn't do it…convict him…innocent…_

"Let me take the case." The words were out before I could suck them back in.

"What?" Levy asked, clearly confused.

"If I take the case, Michelle won't find out you've been hiding it. I'll find Natsu, and tell him to find evidence that he's innocent." I said, sounding so confident and simple.

Levy looked at war with herself, but I knew I was winning her over.

"Oh…k…" She slowly slid the file into my hands. This was important, she was trusting me.

Too bad I was going to betray her.

The reward for Natsu's capture was _500,000 jewel. _That means I get fifty grand just for checking him in.

I couldn't pass this up. Fifty grand, and revenge on Natsu for taking my virginity without any remorse.

Sorry Levy, but this is almost too good to be true.

She bit her lip nervously, before I heard the front door swing open.

"That's your trainer…" Levy said softly. I felt bad, she seemed so sassy and strong, and now she just seemed sad and worried.

"Don't worry. Natsu will be fine." _Over my dead body._

She nodded slowly and opened the door to the room we were in to meet my trainer. I was a bit nervous, especially since Levy appeared to have had a screaming match with whoever it was over the phone.

…And he did not disappoint.

Because my trainer was a six and a half foot tall monster man with peircings and oh lord I think I just peed my pants.

"_This _little brat is the new recruit?" He asked, his voice a low tenor as he glanced at Levy for confirmation. She nodded solemnly and I gulped.

"Seriously." He glanced me up and down, his nose wrinkled in distaste.

"Uh huh…yes. I can start…whenever." I choked out.

"Great. We're going to the shooting range toots. Later _Levy_," He purred her name and smirked tauntingly. She pulled the middle finger out of her pocket and glared.

Hm. I guess I wasn't Levy's least favorite person.

He walked out abruptly, and I followed him, my mind still a blur as I clutched Natsu's file.

_I'm coming for you Dragneel, and it ain't gonna be pretty._

* * *

><p><em>Omg<em>

I totally forgot to mention this bc I published it in a hurry, but this story is based off one of my fav books of all time **_One for the Money_**

totally fantabulous anyways yeah great book and I couldn't resist adding fairy tail flavor k sorry


	2. Chapter 2

"Would you…_slow down!_"

My trainer, who had refused to tell me his name, pretty much sprinted across town, to the shooting range, I guess. Asshole's legs were too damn long, for every one of his strides I had to get in at least five to actually keep up with him.

"Toots, if ya can't take this, there ain't no way you're gonna survive for a damn minute out there."

"Well if your legs weren't so damn long, I wouldn't be having so much trouble!" I snipped, tugging my job interview skirt lower so that it actually modestly covered my legs. I'm such an idiot, I should've said I was free tomorrow, I am in no condition to go to a shooting range…

"Relax. We're here; would ya stop breathing like ya got emphysema?" He said, opening the door to the shooting range and slamming it in my face.

I huffed, heaving open the door and following my brutish trainer to the back area, just my luck, it was in the back of a gun shop.

"Eh! Kurogane, haven't seen you bring a lady here in ages." The gun dude said, lean and gangly like he was made entirely out of limbs.

"She ain't a lady, she's Lobster's new recruit." 'Kurogane' (stupid name) said with a sour face that really made me wanna light his hair on fire.

"Eh!? Martha Stewart over here? No way, no way in hell! She's gonna get eaten alive!" He exclaimed, as if me being an apprehensive agent was the biggest load of garbage he'd heard since modern music.

"Hey! I ain't Martha Stewart, and look who's talkin', you look like you just walked outta Mordor!" I snapped, fixing my wind tossed hair and straightening my jacket like I belonged here.

In the stinky…smelly…infested…gun placey thing.

"So maybe Lobster's got some sense in that cotton candy filled brain o'ers. This chicky's got some spitfire, you gonna train her out back?" He asked, chewing on some weird toothpick that kind of appeared out of no where.

"Yeah. C'mon toots, I got ya somethin'." Kurogane (still a stupid name) said, tossing me a _motherfucking gun _and walking towards the back shooting range area.

I just barely caught it, it jumped out of my hands a couple of times before I finally got a hold on it.

"What the hell are you trying to do, kill me? And why's your name so stupid, stupid?" I asked, probably sounding like a confused four year old as I followed him to the back.

"The opposite, actually. And its not my name, it's a field name. You should get one too, it'll help keep you safe." He tossed me some headphones as well, and led me to a shooting row with a strangely far away looking target.

"What, like a stripper name, or something?" I inquired, slipping the headphones around my neck and positioning myself into the shooter's area.

"Nah, jus' somethin' to scare the shit outta JD's, and then the people you lock up won't know where to find ya. Don't be fooled toots, this ain't all sugar and lollipops and James Bond, this shit is real." He clarified, clicking his really _big ass gun _and taking a shot at the target.

_Holy shit _that was loud. I can taste my thoughts…oh lord I can still hear it…

He turned to look at my dizzying reaction. "See? If you think this is some part time summer job, it ain't. If you do this, you're in it for life."

I briefly reconsidered my decision. I didn't really want to be in this for life, I just wanted a few side bucks…_but_…those side bucks would be enough to cover my rent and my car…

"I know what I'm doing. Move it or lose it Bourne, I got this." My decision was made. I clicked the trigger of my bit sized gun and waited for the shot, only to be shocked when nothing happened.

"You didn't take the safety off. You really think I'm dumb enough to give a ditz a loaded and ready gun? Jesus, this is gonna be a lot harder than I hoped." Kurogane said, clicking the safety button on my little gun and handing it to me sideways.

"I…knew that. Wanted to make sure you were a good trainer…" I lied, taking the gun and pointing it at the target.

"What…what are you doing. You're shooting a gun, not holding a dead rat, hold it like you mean it." He said unhelpfully, his critical gaze really throwing off my game.

You know, my non-existent game.

I did what he said, relaxing my grip and breathing through my nose.

_Blam!_

Kurogane _tsked _and critiqued my shot. "You missed toots. You're too tense, imagine the target as somethin' ya _gotta _hit, life or death."

I pursed my lips and sized up the target, imagining a man with hair the color of pink lemonade and an ego the size of Texas.

_Blam!_

I opened my eyes, eager to see whether or not I succeeded in killing my target.

"Hn. Not bad, stomach shot. You've successfully wounded your perp. But what you really want to aim for, is the shoulder. Most o' these guys are wanted dead or alive, so ya don't wanna rough 'em up too bad." Kurogane explained, stroking the mild bit of stubble on his chin. He was actually remarkably attractive, if you were into rough looking hot guys who didn't abide by the law.

Yeah…that pretty much sums up every woman in existence's ideal dream guy.

"'Kay." I said in a clipped tone, kind of hoping that I would get it in one shot. My brother and I used to play with nerf guns a lot, so I suppose most of my experience came from that.

_Blam!_

I opened my eyes to the sound of Kurogane whistling, which I hoped was a sound of being impressed.

"Damn, you killed 'im. Almost a direct ticker shot." He said, pointing to the tiny black hole I had created right in the area where the target's heart should've been.

"Uh…yeah. Just cuz I'm a girl don't mean I can't light it up." I said sassily. Yeah, I totally meant to hit him in the heart.

_Blam!_

"Whoa. You missed by a mile." Kurogane emitted, his criticism in no way constructive.

"Shut up!" _Blam! Blam! Blam!_

"Yikes. I thought I had a short temper." He noted, examining my haywire shots. "Eh…not bad, for an airhead."

"What? Those shots are perfect! You just don't wanna admit I'm a better shot than you." Dammit, I just had to open my big fat mouth…

Kurogane's face hardened. He pulled out his big ass gun swiftly and shot the target like eight times.

_Dammit. _He drew a fucking smiley face. What an ass.

He grinned and pushed his gun back into its holster. "Now you think you're a better shot?"

I pretended to look conflicted. "Well, it's not bad…but it could use some work…"

"Shaddup." He wheeled around and walked out of the gun training room.

I guess that means the session is over…?

I followed him, taking caution to click the safety back on my gun. Wouldn't want any accidental shots fired, I'd hate to have a hole in my purse.

"Hey, uh so…I'm kinda low on cash, so I'm gonna have to put the whole 'gun buying' thing on hold…" I called out to him.

"No worries. Macao owes me." He said with a sly grin. Somehow I didn't find that to be very comforting.

"Hey geyser? 'Member that time I saved yer kid's hide?" Kurogane asked, leaning over the counter and rubbing his temple in remembrance.

"Mm…vaguely, why don't you refresh my memory…" Macao, the gun guy, said, implying that he wanted Kurogane's money. What a deadbeat.

"Idiot! Gimme that Smith 'n Wesson for squat, I saved yer kid's life!" Kurogane smacked his gloved hand on the counter, prompting both me and Macao to jump out of our own skin.

"I dunno man, it's a pretty nice little baby…" Macao said, and by now I had kind of gotten the message that he was a pretty slimy guy.

"That gun is useless and you know it! Now give it to the chick and maybe next time your brat runs with the wrong crowd I'll let 'em stomp his guts out!" Kurogane roared. At the mention of that, Macao paled and nodded vigorously.

"G-got it, one Smith and Wesson…" He muttered, punching stuff into the register.

"Great. Now, to Fairy Tail!" Kurogane walloped, racing out of the shop similar to when he left the bail bond office.

"What the hell is Fairy Tail?" I asked, following him down the street where, surprisingly, he decided to slow down.

"You don't know what Fairy Tail is? Jesus, did you move here last week?"

I scrunched up my nose, the scent of downtown New Jersey not exactly welcoming my senses.

"For your information, I've lived here my whole life." I sassed, skirting around the shady looking guys on the corner.

"Seriously? Aw…wait…don't tell me…you're a Burg kid, ain't ya?" He guessed.

"Yeah."

The Burg, being the epitome of suburbia, generally left me globalized as stuck up and nit picky. I don't blame anyone for assuming, it was really a stereotypical Burg dwelling quality.

"Ah. Levy was a Burg kid, ya know." He said, almost quietly, like he was remembering something in the back of his mind.

"Are you guys like…a thing?" I asked timidly. I didn't want to upset him, shre seemed like kind of a touchy subject.

Like I guessed, his face turned grim. "No, not anymore."

"Oh…did it end badly?" I asked. Dammit, I'm such an idiot, if I keep prying I'm gonna get my pretty face smashed in…

"Ah…" He started, but I had a feeling he wasn't going to finish that sentence. "Here we are."

I looked up to see probably the most decrepit, broken-down piece of crap building I've ever seen in my life.

And Kurogane couldn't be happier.

"Welcome to Fairy Tail toots."

* * *

><p><strong>So...<strong>

**pretty much my layout for this story will be short chapters and fast updates. Also, in case you were wondering, Kurogane IS Gajeel. I just had to give him a cool bounty hunter nickname (and my creativity is nonexistent T_T) **

**I honestly can't think of what Lucy's bounty hunter name should be. If you have any ideas you should like tell me in a review because everything I come up with is super lame.**

**PPS:**

**Everyone in this story has low-key New Jersey accents. Bet that put an image in your head.**


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